1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to supplemental devices for musical instruments, and more particularly string instruments, and more particularly guitars and more particularly electric guitars.
2. Description of Related Art
Synchronized tremolo systems have been an integral part of a large proportion of guitars for nearly 60 years. A synchronized tremolo system is a variation of a guitar's bridge, where the strings terminate at the base of the guitar's body. Synchronized tremolo systems feature a series of springs on the underside of the guitar that counteract the tension of the strings, allowing the bridge to “float” above the body. A guitarist uses a tremolo arm (commonly known as the “whammy bar”) to affect the pitch of the notes being played; the player can quickly vary the tension and sometimes the length of the strings temporarily, changing the pitch to create vibrato, portamento, pitch bend and diving effects that are staple techniques of guitarists and mainstays of countless notable recordings spanning almost all genres of modern music.
A synchronized tremolo system was invented by Clarence L. Fender, as documented in U.S. Pat. No. 2,741,146 issued Apr. 10, 1955, titled “Tremolo Device for Stringed Instruments.” Since that time, all such devices and improvements thereof have exhibited three inherent flaws:                a change in the tuning of one string will affect the tuning of all other strings,        heavy use of the system results in a loss of tuning, and        bending one string (a common gesture in guitar playing) will result in the detuning of all other strings.        
Others have sought to alleviate these issues, for example Hipshot Products Inc. of 8248 State Rte 96, Interlaken, N.Y. 14847 USA (www.hipshotproducts.com) offers the Tremsetter™ device and Tremel-No LLC of P.O. Box 388, New Albany, Ohio 43054 USA (www.tremol-no.com) offers the Tremel-No™ device.
These two devices each have a number of shortcomings. Installing the Tremsetter™ requires extensive modification to the guitar's body and the device adversely effects the action of the tremolo system as a whole. The Tremel-No™ addresses the problems by merely disabling the tremolo system.
Accordingly, what is needed is a better way to address the problems with a tremolo system without disabling the tremolo system and without requiring extensive modification of a guitar's body.